


Unofficial Wolfwalkers Novelization

by MarauderAO3



Category: Wolfwalkers (2020)
Genre: Gen, Novelization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28652820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarauderAO3/pseuds/MarauderAO3
Summary: A fanmade novelization of the 2020 animated movie Wolfwalkers.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This work is the beginning of an unofficial novelization of the 2020 animated movie Wolfwalkers, produced by Cartoon Saloon and directed by Tomm Moore. It is intended as a way to experience the story through a different medium, or a way for the reader to decide if it is worth buying a subscription to watch the movie in the first place. Please note that this story (and its animation) was intended to be experienced on the Big Screen, and the reader will not be getting the full experience through a rookie's novelization. The story will be told from multiple characters' point of view throughout.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A woodcutting operation goes awry when wolves attack.

## Kilkenny, Ireland

## 1650

All was quiet that morning. The birds sang, and the deer wandered. As the sun came over the hills, the forest came alive once more. On the northern end of the forest, the workmen of Kilkenny tended to their business.

_thwick._

The axe head embedded itself in the tree. A few crows scattered.

_thwick._

The tree trunk quivered for a brief moment.

_thwick._

After the third strike, the tree wobbled on its stump for a few seconds, as if unsure of its fate, before succumbing to gravity and falling to earth.

Sean Og set to work hacking the tree into pieces. Already exhausted from the swings he had taken earlier, he laid his axe down to wipe his brow.

A crackling from the forest.

He looked up and around. There was nothing moving in the forest as far as he could tell, but he knew his ears had not deceived him.

Another crackling noise, louder than the last.

"Huh?" Sean Og raised his axe at the ready, as his fellow workmen walked up behind him to face whatever awaited in the shade of the forest. He held up his lantern towards the darkness. As he raised it, he could now see the countless pairs of beady eyes reflecting the lamplight, staring straight at him. The man to his left let out a panicked "What!?"

The three men watched in terror as the pack of wolves advanced out of the brush, letting out a low growl.

**"WOLF!"** Even as he cried it, Sean Og felt the overwhelming need to run in the opposite direction. As he shook it off and prepared to stand his ground, he heard his fellow workmen clamoring to get away. They had left him for dead.

Desperately wishing for some force to come to his rescue, he pleaded a short "Lord, save us!" The wolves had surrounded him, and as their hungry growls grew louder, Og's hopes for survival rapidly dwindled. "Back. Stay back! Back..." As wolves snapped at him, he yelled in fear. Taking a few steps back, trying to swing at the wolves, he missed, and one of the beasts grabbed his axe in its jaws and broke it clean in two. He screamed in despair. They raised their paws. As he tried to shield himself, he felt their claws sink into his flesh and leave long streaks of searing pain on his chest. As he looked down at the wound, he fell onto his back, flailing helplessly right in front of the pack. He was absolutely certain he was done for, and closed his eyes. Then, a howling from the woods.

He opened his eyes, only to see that the wolves' eyes had glazed over with a golden light. They looked away from him, and ran back into the forest. As he struggled to make sense of the situation, he spotted the wolf pack returning, with two large figures he didn't recognize. He was surely dead now. 

"Sweet mother divine, save us." 

As the figures came into the light, he could see them clearly. A woman of great height, along with a little girl, both wrapped in pagan robes and with bright ginger hair. Their eyes reflected the same golden light as the wolves' did. "Oh my god...," he croaked, "No!" Frozen with terror, he readied himself for the final blow. But it never came. When he opened his eyes once more, the woman and the girl had put their hands over his wounds, letting out a soft howl. He watched incredulously as the light enveloping their hands healed the scratches on his chest.

The woman picked up the girl again. Sean Og ventured the question, "You're a... Wolfwalker..?" 

The pair simply stared back at him. 

"Thank you." 

The woman pointed back at the city walls, and Og was more than happy to follow her directions and run as fast as he could back to safety. 

The woman ran back into the woods, with her daughter in her arms, as the growing mob of soldiers advancing towards the forest was out for blood. She took one final look back at the town, before plunging into the deep dark. The pack followed suit.

_To be continued._


	2. Residence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robyn Goodfellowe practices aim; her father gives her a reality check.

_"Wolf, wolf, kill the wolf, hunt them far and yonder, wolf, wolf, kill the wolf... till all the wolves are done for."_

Robyn Goodfellowe loosed the bolt in her crossbow and watched as it sailed through the air and embedded itself squarely in the center of the wolf bounty poster on the door. She lowered the crossbow to admire her handiwork. "See that, Merlin?" She jumped down to ground level. "Right on the nose." Merlin, her falcon, squawked with approval, and flew down from an arrow stuck in the framework to perch on Robyn's arm. "What are you saying? I was aiming for the nose," Robyn asked. Merlin squawked again. "I'm glad you agree."

Ever since Robyn and her father had moved to Kilkenny from England, Merlin was the only person Robyn felt she could truly be herself around, which was a little strange, considering Merlin was only a bird. Tall for her age, and with a complexion featuring blue eyes and blonde hair, Robyn was a bit of an outcast among the other children in the city.

"Robyn."

After letting out a small gasp, Robyn scrambled to hide her crossbow as her father entered into the main room through the front door. Well, the _only_ room. "Yes, father?"

Bill Goodfellowe examined the arrow tip sticking out on the exterior side of the door. "Busy with your chores, I assume?"

Robyn smiled awkwardly. "Yes, father - practically finished." She grabbed hold of the broom she had leaned on the dinner table and started sweeping absentmindedly.

"Seems you certainly haven't been idle." 

"Oh, idle. Nooooo. I've been sweeping and dusting, mopping... just can't keep up with it!" The dirt, grime, and assortment of food wastes lying around the small interior said otherwise.

Bill closed the door behind him and chuckled. He set his work items down on the table and picked up the crossbow on the wall, before standing beside Robyn. He raised it at the door. "I wonder what range that wolf poster is. Fifteen feet?" 

"No way. **Twenty** at least." Robyn balked for a moment, realizing what she had just implied. "A- Although... I'm not sure," flashing another awkward grin at her father. "I haven't really considered it. Too busy cleaning." 

Bill sighed. "Robyn, this is our new home. The bucket and brush are your tools now, not this," he said, gesturing to the crossbow in his other hand.

Robyn groaned. "It's so boring being stuck in here all day. I should be out on adventures with you, like we did back in England." 

He knelt down to look at her eye-to-eye. "Oh, lass. Lord Protector has strict rules." He set down the hood of her robe and put on the bonnet she had left on the floor in its place. "No children beyond the walls, you know that. The forest is brimming with _real_ wolves, and it's my job to hunt them down, not yours."

"I'm not afraid of a wolf," she rebutted, with some intensity. 

"You've never even seen a wolf." Bill noted the look of increasing frustration on her face. 

"...and I'm still not afraid!" 

"Yes, and that's why I must be afraid for you." 

Even knowing her father meant well, Robyn couldn't help but to turn away in disappointment, huffing as she did so. She sweeped some more, before an idea struck. "Well, I'll come with you to the gates." 

Bill had already picked up his gear and was preparing to leave. "I'll be back before sundown. Stay indoors," he said, flashing one last smile at his daughter. The door shut behind him. 

The moment he left, the smile fell off Robyn's face, and she threw aside the broom and bonnet, putting her hood back up. With a look of determination, she posed in a way that she though a true hunter might. Merlin chirped, flew down once more and perched on her arm. "Time to practice our tracking, Merlin," Robyn proclaimed. He twittered once again, as if asking a question. "Yes, now." She grabbed her crossbow once more and went out the door. 


	3. Townfolk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding life in Kilkenny to be a bore, Robyn tries following her father out the front gates.

The town square was alive with the clamorings of the townspeople. Children ran between the pillars of the inn nearby, the stalls were counting stock to start the day, and the guards stood watch. The Stocks stood intimidatingly in the center of the square, but they was empty, and as such were not in a state to send the particular message they were built for. Robyn ran into the stream of people moving down the central street of the village. She brought Merlin closer to her face so he could hear her. "You find him, I'll follow." She launched Merlin into the air, and the pair began to make their way to the gates. Running past the vendors and the people going about their daily business, Robyn found it felt good to run freely again. Merlin let out a series of squawks, and she looked ahead to see her father making his way through the crowd. Merlin gilded back down to Robyn and perched on her shoulder. "Good work, Merlin." 

Robyn climbed atop the vendors' stalls and performed a little parkour to get closer. Directly ahead of them, a performance was taking place in the street. 

_"Howls the wolf, wolf, wolf, Fears the wolf, wolf, wolf, Run the wolf, wolf, wolf, Flees the wolf, wolf, wolf..."_

She slid down the tiles of one of the stalls' roofs and landed on the street. Her father had heard the noise, and turned around to look, but she quickly hid behind the closest shop. The seller was advertising something about shellfish. He shrugged, then turned forward. Even as he did, and as Robyn planned to advance again, she was briefly distracted by the seller's cat, who was swiping at Merlin. Noticing Robyn's attention, the seller shoved a bottle of white liquid in Robyn's face. "Wash it down with a cup of donkey's milk!" 

The smell alone made Robyn's nose scrunch up. She declined as the seller started trying to haggle. Moving back into the center of the street, Robyn asked Merlin, "Where's he gone?" She shouldered her way into the crowd surrounding the performance. In the center of the circle lay a hat filled with coin, and around it danced a group of men and women in bright, joyful clothing. She glanced around, only to hear a familiar voice right behind her. 

"Robyn." 

She gasped. Her father had been standing behind her for a good ten seconds at least. "I was only going to track you as far as the gates." He stared sternly at her. 

"Really? Then what? Follow me out and slay the pack of wolves single-handed?" 

Robyn's face lit up. "Yeah, but we could hunt them together. Wolves, bears, dragons, even!" 

Bill chuckled. "What am I to do with you?" He took her by the hands and they started twirling about in the clearing like dancers on a stage. 

"We could climb mountains and see giants, meet witches who cast spells, find mermaids, and **selkies** , even!" She was engrossed in a multitude of fantasies she desperately wished to share. 

Bill laughed. "Love, you and your fanciful stories." 

They pranced around a bit more and sang along with the performers, both feeling at the best they had been all day. Before they had the chance to enjoy it further, a gruff voice called out from behind the crowd. 

"GOODFELLOWE!" 

Everyone paused, gasped, and before Robyn knew what had happened the crowd dispersed in a blink. There was a platoon of soldiers standing downwind in the street. The one at the head motioned, "Goodfellowe! Come here a minute!" 

Bill immediately stood to attention. "Yes, sir!" He turned to Robyn. "Stay here, lass." 

Robyn watched as her father shuffled over to the soldiers, then heard a commotion to her left. There were silhouettes moving on the tarp covering the nearby alleyway. She glanced back at her father, then decided to investigate. Crossbow at the ready, she moved up towards the tarp and lifted it with a sudden motion with her crossbow raised. 

To her surprise, it was merely a group of children playing around with a broken trapping cage. She lowered her crossbow in confusion. The boy standing atop the cage, presumably the leader, had noticed her, and subsequently paused to point at her with his toy sword. He sneered. 

"Hey, English girl," he said, stepping down from the cage. "Where do you think you're going dressed like that?" 

Robyn answered, "I'm a hunter." 

"I'm, a hunta," he uttered mockingly. The other children laughed. "Would you listen to her fancy dancy accent?" 

She doubled down. "I _am_ a hunter. Just like my father. He's the best hunter there is." 

The boy looked offended. "No, he's not. My father's the best hunter," he stated, swinging his sword as he did so. 

"Yeah? Well, we're hunting wolves for the Lord Protector," Robyn said smugly. 

The boy's scowl grew far deeper once the words escaped her mouth. "Lord Protector put my father in chains for nothing. You English think you're _so_ great, but you're not." He advanced towards her. "You should all just go home. But first, give us a go on your crossbow." He grabbed her bow and began to pull quite hard. 

Robyn's apprehension turned to panic, as her only claim to her dreams of being a hunter was about to be taken by a random boy on the street. "No!" she yelled, and pulled it back. In an attempt to protect it from another grab, she shoved the boy hard enough for him to fall to the ground. The entire group of children gasped in surprise. They started moving in to exact revenge. 

"You'll _pay_ for that, English girl." 

Robyn glanced around at the children now forming a circle around her. They all had the look one would have when about to engage in mischief. The leader got back on his feet, hoisted the cage above his head, and slowly started walking over. Not even a month spent in this town, and Robyn was already going to be humiliated. She braced for the pokes and teases, but instead was surprised to hear the tarp behind her being lifted once more. 

“What’s going on here?” 

The leader’s sneer instantly wiped off his face. “Soldier! Leg it!” 

The group ran down the alley and scattered round the corner. Robyn turned around to see her father standing tall, with Merlin perched on his shoulder. Robyn quickly hid her crossbow behind her back, shrinking in posture. It was humiliation, just not the kind she had anticipated. 

Her father led her out of the alley and on the path to the main gate. “Why must you wander off like that, Robyn?” 

A volley of words poured from her mouth; “I was trying to help you, and then there was a boy, and he said his father was better than you, and then he wanted my crossbow, and-” 

“ _Robyn!_ ” 

She shut up. 

“We are not so welcome in this land yet. You’re better off to stay at home while I’m working. You’re safe there.” 

She fired back, “But I’d be just as safe out there with you.” 

Frustrated with her insistence, Bill lost his temper and slammed the gate behind him. “NO, Robyn! Stay inside. Do as you’re told.” Feeling like a bag of rocks after seeing Robyn’s crestfallen expression, he assured her: “It’s for your own good, Robyn.” 

Once again, even if she knew that her father only meant well, Robyn could not help but feel anything other than deep disappointment. 

Bill put down his things to speak to her face to face. “Look… this evening, when I’m back, you can help me make new arrows.” He put down her hood again, and took a flower from the side of the road and placed it in her hair. “Tell me your stories of giants and dragons. Would you like that?” 

Robyn squeaked out, “I suppose so.” She felt defeated. 

Bill smiled. “Now then, be good,” and left to make his way to the woods. Merlin perched on one of the grates to accompany Robyn as she watched him walk away. 

Robyn was rudely awakened from her sense of longing when the soldiers on either side of the gate’s arch lowered their pikes into a cross right in front of her. 

The one on the left deadpanned, “No children beyond the walls. Lord Protector’s orders.” 

Robyn took a few steps back towards home, when she stopped and stood in thought. She let Merlin perch on her arm. “If he could just see how good I am, what a _hunter_ I am, then he’d have to let me come along.” Merlin squawked back rudely at her. She scoffed. “What are you, Merlin? A falcon or a chicken?” Merlin continued squawking back at her as she devised a plan. 

She hid behind a nearby pile of crates, and examined her surroundings. Down the street was the same group of kids that had given her trouble earlier, harassing a little boy. Right above their heads was a loosely fastened English flag; Robyn knew just what to do. She aimed her crossbow up at the rope holding the flag, and loosed another bolt. The flag fell right on the group’s heads, and in the disorientation, the little boy managed to escape. That didn’t faze them, however, as they realized what exactly had fallen from the sky. 

“Lads, we got a flag! Come on!” The group ran right into the sightline of the guards at the gate and proclaimed, “ **Down with the Lord Protector!** ” Robyn couldn’t help but to giggle. 

After a significant delay in their reaction, the guards jumped into action and started giving chase to the group of rascals, now running down the main street of the town, the vendors egging them on. The commotion opened the perfect window of opportunity for Robyn to sprint over to the gate and dive through the grates. She had finally made it out. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the first piece of writing I've EVER submitted to AO3! In fact, this is the first fan-made content I've likely published anywhere in some serious fashion. I know I'm obviously not the best at this, so any constructive criticism is welcome.


End file.
